posted at 1:41 pm on February 28, 2013 by Allahpundit

286-138, with all 199 Democrats voting yes and all 138 no votes coming from the GOP. That makes three times, the first being the fiscal cliff and the second being the Sandy relief bill, that Boehner’s pushed something through the House with most of his own caucus opposed.

How’d we get here? Most of the GOP caucus opposed the Senate version of VAWA for various reasons, in part because it granted tribal courts on Native American reservations jurisdiction over non-Native American men, a move of questionable constitutionality. Enter Eric Cantor, who helped draft a new House version of the bill that would have compromised on tribal jurisdiction. To placate opponents of the Senate bill, Cantor’s House bill would be voted on first. Only if that failed would the Senate bill get a vote. It failed — 166-257, with 60 Republicans joining 197 Democrats to shoot it down — which means it was time for the Senate version to get a shot. Straightforward, right? Well, via DrewM, not exactly:

House leaders reached the decision to pitch the Senate bill late Tuesday, only once it became clear a House version of the measure could not pass. At a meeting earlier in the evening among members of the Whip team, which counts votes, the contingency of the Senate bill coming to the floor was not even raised.

“You would have never thought that had the slightest possibility of happening based on the discussions,” one House Republican aide familiar with the meeting said. The member of Congress for whom the aide works only learned that the House would vote on the Senate version of VAWA later — from Politico.

“I think members are more upset over the process than they are over the Senate bill itself,” the aide added.

But what about Cantor? He tried to get a House bill through in lieu of the Senate bill. He even voted no on the Senate bill this morning. If anyone went to the mat for House Republicans on this, it was him, right? Right?

House majority leader Eric Cantor is increasingly frustrated with a group of House Republicans who are working against the leadership, and he’s not afraid of voicing his dismay.

In a closed-door conference meeting on Wednesday, Cantor told one GOP member that if they blocked the Senate-passed Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) from coming to the floor, they’d cause “civil war” in the ranks.

Cantor’s comment irked some Republican aides, who told National Review Online that such strong language is inappropriate.

In the end, thanks to pressure from Cantor, only nine Republicans voted against bringing the Senate bill to the floor. For your exit question, I’ll leave you with this, from Politico’s Jonathan Martin:

There’s effectively now coalition-style gov’t in the House.Why would Boehner want this job after ’14?

Breaking on Hot Air

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because it granted tribal courts on Native American reservations jurisdiction over non-Native American men,

And isn’t that just the planned programmed “foot in the door” into putting all of us under sharia law?

Don L on February 28, 2013 at 2:12 PM

Why are you comparing Native Americans to followers of Islam?

The only thing this means is that you can’t rape women on Indian reservations and face a jury in your home state.

bayam on February 28, 2013 at 2:20 PM

This law is so broad that if you date a woman on a Reservation then break it off. She can have you arrested and tried on the reservation because you supposedly called her something bad. Just her word and the word of her friends will put you in prison.

The $64,000 dollar question we all asked on January 3, 2013 based on the 2 years he was given and the promises he made and got no response.

We didn’t even get the return to regular order he promised after the tax hike.

I seriously think Boehner is controlled by Wall Street or Military Contracts or both or something else to because he is majorly focused on the near term shocks to the economy, even in his interviews, which is the kind of thing donors call up and cans in chips on. Nothing is long term over short term.

My prediction for the CR is the same excuse he used for 2 years for what he was doing as Speaker

“With the weak economy the time is not right to… we need to address …. right now to the the country back on its feet…We need to sit down with the President and…”

It’s all about controal and group think .
Best not to look at or say anything to
anyone . Especially if they look different
from you or sound different .
Division is an easy way to overwhelm a
population . Chaos and fear work very well .

In all seriousness, how can Boehner remain speaker when he continues to go against a majority of his own caucus?

There are only 2 possible answers:

1. House Republicans are idiots with absolutely no courage to get rid of Boehner (which is entirely possible); or

2. Even most of the House Republicans who voted against this were actually secretly in favor of it being brought to the floor for a vote – this way they can play it both ways – allow it to come to a vote knowing it will pass (even though they could stop it from coming to a vote) while voting against it so they can claim they were oppose (this is the same thing as a Dem Senator from a conservative state voting yes on cloture on a very liberal bill but voting against the bill).

My money is actually on 2, although 1 would not entirely surprise me.

If the Republicans who voted no truly wanted to stop this bill from being passed, Boehner would no longer be speaker within a week for going against a majority of his caucus like this.

If the Republicans who voted no truly wanted to stop this bill from being passed, Boehner would no longer be speaker within a week for going against a majority of his caucus like this.

Monkeytoe on February 28, 2013 at 4:10 PM

I think it is time to stop supporting republicans altogether. What’s the point of supporting republicans? There is none. Vote to get rid of your incumbent republican, and if the incumbent wins, don’t vote or give any money.

It’s time to get rid of all of them. I no longer care about “most electable in the general election”. I’m only going to support the absolutely most conservative from here on out and I am going to take my ball and go home if my candidate doesn’t win. The republicans are useless and despite the tea party advances, etc., they are moving left and ceding on every front to the liberals.

There is no longer any point in giving time, money or votes to the republicans. It’s over. I’ve had this rant before and always eventually came crawling back, but I just don’t think I can do it again. Screw them.

Remember back when Boehner was complaining about how Obama was going to try to destroy the Republican Party? What Boehner left out is the means that it could be done. The means is that the GOP establishment is going to try to out-Democrat the Democrats and try to co-opt their agenda. Corrupt statist RINO’s in Congress, which control the party, were signalling that they’re going to sell out on everything and betray their base, probably fracturing and destroying the Republican Party in the process. All Obama and the Democrats have the power to do is hand them the GOP a loaded gun, but it’s actually the GOP establishment that is pulling the trigger, as exemplified by this and so many other stories of late.

These unprincipled slimeballs need to be primaried! Throw them out of power, or else start a new party. Otherwise if the GOP is going to let all the same crooks to run the show then increasing numbers of people like me are going to take our votes elsewhere.

Frankly, I think that the NE United States, the metro areas primarily, should go their own way. The NE seems to be the most fascist/Marxist part of the country which is increasingly foreign to a lot of people. I live over here on the West Coast and as bad as California is, not to mention progressive Vancouver BC, I identify a lot more with them than I do with the NE United States. I think that the NE should join with Quebec and the West side of America should join with Vancouver BC and form a new country in which it will be illegal for foreigners like Bloomberg to buy our elections.

So what incentive do we have to leave the House in the hands of the GOP after next year? If they’re gonna keep rubber stamping the Obama agenda with every Democrat and only a minority of Republicans voting through every bit of crap legislation that Harry Reid sends over, just put the gavel back in Pelosi’s hand. That way at least Obama is left with no foil when everything goes to hell. Shoot, in retrospect it’s looking like retaking the House was the worst thing that could’ve happened in 2010.

Doughboy on February 28, 2013 at 1:48 PM

Ooooops! And who was instrumental in the 2010 elections?
Time to blame Palin (and others – however their names won’t
generate as much fuss). LOL!!!!

Perhaps, but even he did not uphold Obamacare on Commerce Clause grounds, which is what killed a huge part of VAWA the first time (see United States v Morrison). Holding in Morrison: “The Violence Against Women Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. § 13981, is unconstitutional as exceeding congressional power under the Commerce Clause and under section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.”

This version goes even further. Domestic abuse now includes words that cause emotional harm to partners. So, if your wife asks if a certain item of clothing makes her bum look big, think carefully before answering.

This idiocy is already in practise in France.

Also, homosexual partners are covered, but men in heterosexual relationships are not so there is an equal protection problem right there.

The entire thing is stupid. Domestic abuse cases are not Federal matters and the Federal dockets are already too crowded.

Perhaps, but even he did not uphold Obamacare on Commerce Clause grounds, which is what killed a huge part of VAWA the first time

Resist We Much on February 28, 2013 at 5:37 PM

What he did was worse: completely make up new jurisprudence to make the case turn out how he wanted. So, it really doesn’t matter what was done before – he’ll do whatever he wants, making up whatever reason he wants to support his position, irrespective of constitution, statutory language, or precedent.

I have no idea how you have such faith. I used to. Back when I thought that the government forcing people to enter into private contracts to which they were unwilling participants would be struck down by SCOTUS. Now? No faith in the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States. None. Zero.

If I gave up all hope in the Court, then there would be no reason for me to remain here any longer. More often than not, it gets it right. That cannot be said about Congress, the President, the media, or the voters.

Here’s a tasty thought… This article assumes the Republicans opposed this measure. There’s no evidence of that. Just because 138 lined up and voted no, after knowing up front it would pass no matter what, what is the downside? They get to pretend they voted no, and it’s irrelevant to the overall measure which, of course, passes.

Politics as usual.

HopeHeFails on February 28, 2013 at 2:57 PM

THIS!!! When they brought the Rule up, the vote was 414 Yes votes and only 9 no votes. These 9 no votes were Republican votes. Since we have a majority in the House and if every one of the R’s had voted no, this Senate bill S.47 would NOT have been able to come to the floor for a vote!! That is my understanding of everything I’ve read and heard on this.

It was in the voting FOR this Rule is where the betrayal was.

If I don’t have this correct, please someone let me know.

The fact that these Republican wimps voted no on the bill is as you say, worthless and they receive no credit!! They are all at fault that this bill passed in the House that voted FOR the Rule!!

If I gave up all hope in the Court, then there would be no reason for me to remain here any longer. More often than not, it gets it right. That cannot be said about Congress, the President, the media, or the voters.

Resist We Much on February 28, 2013 at 6:50 PM

Well, Noel Canning v. NLRB gives me a sliver of hope that our government may at least run into some minor speed bumps on its way to unchecked tyranny (despite the fact that the Obama admin just ignored the ruling and the press didn’t say boo). But, then again, I fully expect John Roberts and his gang of misfits to make up some irrational, nonsensical “reason” to overturn it.

There is no longer any point in giving time, money or votes to the republicans. It’s over. I’ve had this rant before and always eventually came crawling back, but I just don’t think I can do it again. Screw them.

Monkeytoe on February 28, 2013 at 4:15 PM

2014 is coming up. I may take the time to call every House Republican and let them know that any Democrat that will be running against them will get my vote. See if they like that.

Ooooops! And who was instrumental in the 2010 elections?
Time to blame Palin (and others – however their names won’t
generate as much fuss). LOL!!!!

Amjean on February 28, 2013 at 4:51 PM

Nope! The Republicans had the opportunity to not vote Boehner in as Speaker. That is where the fault lies, not with Sarah Palin or the voters that put Conservatives in office.

Sarah Palin is not Speaker of the House, Boehner is and he is the one to blame for working with Reid/McConnell to pass everything Obama has wanted. He is the Anti-American, not Sarah Palin. She is a Patriot.

My understanding is that Islamists have been targeting Native Americans on reservations for conversion for nearly two decades. There is mention of it in a congressional report about the Oklahoma bombing. Apparently, Iraqis in Oklahoma were working to spread Islam there.

So…now we will see sharia law become the law of the land on reservations…and then it will spread. What will stop it? Not the Republicans under Boehner (who should have been thrown under the bus when we had the chance).

Cantor is almost as big of a thug as Obama and Bohener should be done..he needs to go now!!!!!

sadsushi on February 28, 2013 at 8:23 PM

True enough. However, the buck stops with Boehner as he is the Speaker, not Cantor. Boehner is allowing Cantor to threaten the Conservatives. Boehner thinks that this makes Cantor the bad guy and not himself. Nope, won’t work. Boehner is at fault here.

Boehner stripped several Conservatives of their Committee and Sub Committee slots sometime back.

Now, the Republicans didn’t need to vote for that Rule (only 9 voted against it) but they did. So they too are at fault. But Boehner is responsible for allowing Cantor to threaten them.

What was Cantor going to do to the Republicans? Take their lunch away? Reduce their bottled water? There really wasn’t anything he could do to them. Perhaps this was all a ploy so the R’s could pass the bill they intended to pass all along.

This bill, the “Violence Against Women Act [VAWA],” in its Senate version does at least four egregious things: federalize domestic violence laws (already ruled unconstitutional by SCOTUS in 2000), taking that power from the states; expand the parameters of “domestic violence” to include “unpleasant speech” and emotional abuse, both terms left deliberately vague to ensnare as many “offenders” as possible (and in potential violation of the 1st Amendment); grant authority to Native American Federation courts to prosecute non-Native American US citizens; and finally, redefine women to include men, homosexuals, the transgendered, and prisoners — while granting illegals suffering from domestic violence immigration rights.

But perhaps worst of all, conviction under such federal law will negate the right to gun ownership — meaning that men, women, homosexuals, and the transgendered can all lose their 2nd Amendment rights for inflicting “emotional abuse” on a partner, or even for engaging in “unpleasant speech.”

Like Resist We Much, I have a little faith SCOTUS will toss this.
But like this matters much IMO anyway bcs the truth of matters are, things escalated a long time ago, but so many of the American public were sleeping, or apathetic to the clarion callers of years gone by since the early 20th century when assaults on the Constitution were so raw.
We are not free. And have not been since truly after FDR. And it start a little before that in earnest.
Progressives used to discriminate btwn themselves & regular communists.
They do not anymore.